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Smoking policy: YesSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before: $59-89.Ask for Road Scholar rate.

Check in time: 3:30 PM

Day One: Sunday, January 20 - Hotel Check-In, Program Registration and Orientat...

Arrive To: HOTEL CHECK-IN: Available from 3:30pm.

Afternoon: PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the lobby to meet the hosts and members of the staff.

Once everyone has arrived, we will embark on a pleasant campus walk to become familiar with the facilities.

Dinner: Enjoy an opening dinner in a private dining area with fellow biking enthusiasts. While most meals will give you the opportunity interact with the university student population, our first meal together is in a more intimate setting to allow you to get to know other members of the group.

Evening: ORIENTATION: You will receive your program packet containing your name tag, the up-to-date daily schedule, and other information such as free time opportunities. We will review the schedule thoroughly, highlighting departure times, trip details, and locations of presentations, as well as covering responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have. (If you arrive late, please pick up your packet at the hotel front desk.)

Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding!

Following orientation, enjoy an entertaining get-acquainted session to learn more about your fellow participants. The remainder of the evening is your time to finish settling in and relax before beginning a week of biking along picturesque trails.

Breakfast: Breakfast in the Stetson Commons is available from 7:00am. Enjoy a wide selection of hot and cold breakfast selections, including made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, and more.

Morning: PRESENTATION: Bike Evaluations & Safety Orientation. Staff of the Florida Bicycle Association will provide an expert evaluation of the fit of each rider's bicycle, followed by a safety orientation session centered around the roadways and trails that will be used throughout the week. The Group Leader will also cover rules of the road/trail and guidelines for biking in a group.

Founded in 1997 as a non-profit educational organization, the Florida Bicycle Association inspires and supports people and communities to enjoy greater freedom and well-being through bicycling. The FBA envisions a state where people of all ages see bicycling as an enjoyable, practical, and safe recreational activity and transportation option.

Lunch: Lunch in the Stetson Commons. Choose from a wide variety of entrees and sides; main entrée selections change daily. You may also select items from the grill area, hand-tossed pizza, salad bar, or a made-to-order deli sandwich.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: Biking Through Historic Downtown DeLand. This award-winning "Main Street" community -- as designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation -- reflects what is special about the past and present while planning and moving ahead. During our guided biking field trip, you'll see the Mural Walk, Sculpture Walk, and learn about initiatives such as New Urbanism, a movement to connect mixed residential and commercial land use so people can walk to work, dine, and relax in the neighborhoods where they live.

Dinner: Dinner in the Stetson Commons. Choose from the great array and variety of good food you've already come to anticipate: numerous entrees, salad bar, and freshly made desserts.

Evening: EXTRACURRICULAR: Stetson University is a cultural hub within the surrounding city and county. Enjoy an event such as a concert, lecture, or sporting event selected from available offerings.

Breakfast: Breakfast in the Stetson Commons is available from 7:00am. Enjoy a wide selection of hot and cold breakfast selections, including made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, and more.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: The day begins with an invigorating ride through scenic rural country roads to the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts. This historical village is nestled within a charming, moss-draped oak hammock in western Volusia County. We'll have a guided journey through the structures within the extensive campus that illustrates life in rural Florida in bygone days of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Lunch: Picnic Lunch at the Settlement.

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: After visiting the old Country Store, we begin the return trip to DeLand, biking by way of the oak-hammock covered roads of Glenwood and historic homes along the route. Our total biking distance for the day is more than 30 miles.

Dinner: Dinner in the Stetson Commons. Choose from the great array and variety of good food you've already come to anticipate: numerous entrees, salad bar, and freshly made desserts.

Evening: EXTRACURRICULAR: Stetson University is a cultural hub within the surrounding city and county. Enjoy an event such as a concert, lecture, or sporting event selected from available offerings.

Note: 20 total miles of biking along river roads and through quiet city neighborhoods.

Breakfast: Breakfast in the Stetson Commons is available from 7:00am. Enjoy a wide selection of hot and cold breakfast selections, including made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, and more.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Spring-to-Spring Trail. We'll bike a portion of the trail that stretches from Gemini Springs Park to DeLeon Springs State Park. The trail is designed to accommodate walkers, joggers, inline skaters, bicyclists and people with disabilities. Our ride will bring us to Blue Spring State Park, a designated manatee refuge and safe haven for the West Indian manatee.

We'll park our bikes and stroll down the boardwalks of Blue Spring State Park to enjoy the beauty of the flora surrounding the natural spring run, and the variety of fauna including close-up views of manatees (depending on seasonal cycles).

Lunch: Picnic Lunch at Blue Spring State Park

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: St. John's River Nature Study Cruise. The vessel we will board is specially designed to ply the shallow backwaters of the historic St. Johns River. With an average cruising speed of 6 MPH, its quiet, smooth operation allows you to hear and see everything nature offers. There will be frequent stops along the way to learn about this most fragile ecosystem as well as photo opportunities.

Returning to DeLand, we will bike along more of the Spring-to-Spring Trail, concluding with the newly completed Alabama Avenue Greenway, a paved shared use path that connects the city's Earl Brown Park with Stetson University.

Dinner: Dinner in the Stetson Commons. Choose from the great array and variety of good food you've already come to anticipate: numerous entrees, salad bar, and freshly made desserts.

Evening: EXTRACURRICULAR: Stetson University is a cultural hub within the surrounding city and county. Enjoy an event such as a concert, lecture, or sporting event selected from available offerings.

Smoking policy: YesSmoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before: $59-89.Ask for Road Scholar rate.

Check in time: 3:30 PM

Day Five: Thursday, January 24 - Ormond Scenic Loop

Note: 33 total miles of biking through state park lands and along scenic Atlantic Ocean landscapes.

Breakfast: Breakfast in the Stetson Commons is available from 7:00am. Enjoy a wide selection of hot and cold breakfast selections, including made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, and more.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: We begin with a motorcoach transfer to a starting point of the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, part of the larger, 260-Mile St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop. (Our equipment will be conveyed separately by trailer.).

The Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail is an easily navigated loop of roadways traversing some of the most beautiful and diverse natural scenery remaining in all of Florida. The loop includes four state and six local public parks, as well as ten miles of gorgeous Florida beachfront.

Lunch: Picnic Lunch on the Loop

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: We continue the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail journey. You'll observe varied plant and animal species along the beach, such as the endangered Florida Scrub Jay and nesting sea turtles. Keep your eyes peeled, and you might spy dolphins as well. During migration seasons, you might even spot Northern Right Whales and humpback whales offshore.

We'll return to town via our motorcoach and pass through the Volusia Conservation Corridor, affectionately known as the "Palmetto Curtain." The corridor is the wild heart of Volusia and Flagler counties.

Dinner: Dinner in the Stetson Commons. Choose from the great array and variety of good food you've already come to anticipate: numerous entrees, salad bar, and freshly made desserts.

Evening: EXTRACURRICULAR: Stetson University is a cultural hub within the surrounding city and county. Enjoy an event such as a concert, lecture, or sporting event selected from available offerings.

Day Six: Friday, January 25 - Growth of Cycling as Tourism and Successful Lobby...

Growth of Cycling as Tourism and Successful Lobbying of Bicycle Legislation

Breakfast: Breakfast in the Stetson Commons is available from 7:00am. Enjoy a wide selection of hot and cold breakfast selections, including made-to-order omelets, fresh fruit, and more.

Morning: PRESENTATION: Growth of Bicycle Tourism. Florida Bicycle Association representatives will discuss the growing appeal of bicycle tourism and its benefits for individuals as well as communities. We will also learn how you can influence bicycle-related legislation with a "An Insider's Guide to Successful Lobbying for Bicyclist Rights." Learn from local officials how you can help bring about positive changes in your city or county, and the development of shared use trails and "greenways" in your community.

Lunch: Share your favorite memories with new-found friends. The program concludes with this closing lunch in a private area.

We trust you have enjoyed this new biking adventure and will return for other rewarding Road Scholar programs in the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Free Time Opportunities

Important information about your itinerary: Please know that while we do everything we can to finalize all aspects of our programs well in advance, there are logistics that occasionally must be altered. Our website will reflect the most recent information, and we are committed to providing you with final program details no later than eight weeks prior to the start of programs outside the U.S. and three weeks prior to the start of programs within the U.S. If you ever have questions about your program, please don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

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The latest in light, portable, easy-to-use QUIETVOX listening devices are available on Road Scholar programs.* Whether you are outdoors, in a crowd or in a museum environment where speaking loudly is discouraged, a listening device makes it feel like our experts are speaking clearly and directly to you. Hear for yourself on a Road Scholar adventure!

*Please note that due to the nature of some programs, the remote location or government regulations, listening devices may not be available. If you’d like to know for sure if your program will offer listening devices, just call and ask an Advisor!